Monday, 11 May 2009

Speeding in Chopwell

It's always great to talk to local residents. As always vehicle speeds are always an issue. A resident has pointed out that with cars down both sides of South Road, the speed limits are too high and something needs to be done about reducing speed. I am forwarding this to our candidate Ray Callender and will be seeing what local residents think.

Later today, whilst admiring the Red Kites in Rowlands Gill, I was walking past the speed camera on Dipwood Road, I observed a motorbike and a car slowing down but then instantly accelerating. Speed cameras have an important role to play but are not always the answer to getting more considerate driving. We need to change behaviour and win the heart and minds on this one!

2 comments:

We certainly do need to win hearts and minds - and speed cameras have no role to play at all. A man hiding in a van spying on people and trying to trip them up can NEVER win hearts and minds. Far from it. It can only alienate the very people we want to get on board. There is so much more to road safety than just lowering speed.

Is this the sneakiest speed camera in the world - the neon one, carefully hidden behind bushes so you can't see it until the last minute? The one positioned carefully to trap, either motorists starting to speed up as they get ready to be allowed up to national speed limit, or motorists slowing down as they come off it?

While I don't condone speeding, that camera FEELS positioned to earn as much hard cash as possible. Play that way, and you'll get people breaking the rules, because they're only obeying them in the first place to not-get-caught.

About Me

I am a 37 year old Liberal Democrat campaigner and councillor. I was the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Blaydon Constituency and am the Town and County Councillor for Prudhoe West. Outside of politics I am a manager at a Citizens Advice Bureau and am a non-executive director on Northumberland Care Trust